Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) update, Vol. 3, Issue 10 (Oct. 7, 2011)

Georgia Enterprise Technology Services (GETS) Update
Volume 3, Issue No. 10
Full-service agencies to play larger role in GETS decision making
We are taking the next steps to address the issues raised by KPMG in its assessment of the GETS program and implement many of the recommendations. One of those recommendations concerns greater agency involvement in decision-making processes. Accordingly, we have asked CIOs from the full-service GETS agencies to participate on teams targeting such high-priority areas as governance, communications, and relationship and workload management. I am pleased to announce that KPMG is helping to guide the work of the teams.

October 7, 2011 In This Issue
Agencies report better performance after mainframe
upgrade
IT enhancements completed at DOR
File server virtual consolidation has positive
impact for DPH
Router and switch remediation aimed at reducing risk
Managed VoIP service now available
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At the same time, agency CIOs are assuming a greater role in helping GTA assess a new approach toward IT transformation. At the meeting of the Agency Advisory Council

on September 22, three CIOs were chosen by council members to take part in evaluating and deciding on the proposed approach. As its name implies, the council has advised GTA and our technology service providers about transformation and service delivery, but it is now participating in making key decisions that affect IT support for business operations in state agencies. That's as it should be.
Through transformation, we are improving the security and reliability of the IT infrastructure you depend on to conduct the business of your agency. We are replacing out-of-date servers, end-user computers and network equipment. We are standardizing hardware, software and operating procedures to reduce service interruptions and speed repair times when problems occur. We are building the infrastructure necessary to support newer and innovative technology services - those already available and those to come. You will find several examples of our progress in this issue of GETS Update.
Participation in decision-making processes will require more time from agency CIOs. They already face competing demands for their time and attention, but I need their input to ensure the best decisions possible are made for agencies and those they serve. Further, I am confident that greater agency involvement will benefit the state's IT enterprise as a whole.
Thank you for your ongoing support.

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Calvin Rhodes State Chief Information Officer GTA Executive Director

Agencies report better performance after mainframe upgrade
State agencies are noticing a big improvement in performance after IBM replaced the central processor on the mainframe computer at the North Atlanta Data Center.
The mainframe computer supports some of the most critical business applications in state agencies, and its central processor was reaching 100 percent of capacity during peak processing periods. As a result, users might experience response time delays ranging from 10 seconds to two minutes, and applications accessing databases on the mainframe could time out during peak loads. An evaluation by performance experts determined the cause to be increased demand from state agencies, and the solution was to replace the existing central processor with a newer, more powerful processor. Agency CIOs selected the upgrade date that had the least impact on business demands, and IBM switched out the old processor on September 25. State agencies noticed an immediate difference.
In describing the performance improvement, a field support manager at the Department of Driver Services simply said, "Great!" A Department of Revenue official described performance as "very good", and an official at the Department of Family and Children Services said, "DFCS staff I spoke with indicated the SUCCESS response time is good. No complaints. We have not heard anything negative from the field."
Additional changes to further improve mainframe computing are planned for implementation early next year.
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IT enhancements completed at DOR
September brought the completion of two server consolidation efforts at the Department of Revenue.
Fifty-seven servers and associated storage for the Integrated Tax System (ITS) application were migrated to the North Atlanta Data Center (NADC) during the Labor Day weekend. As a result, the number of servers was reduced to 12 - a decrease of almost 80%. Later in the month, nine additional servers for the Motor Vehicles Division (MVD) applications were migrated as part of a pilot project. Processes tested in the pilot will prove useful in advancing the GETS server consolidation initiative.
The consolidation effort will provide DOR with much needed updated hardware, server tools monitoring, and a more secure and state-of-the-art environment within the NADC. Although the changes are transparent to constituents who use the applications, the state IT enterprise will benefit from improved efficiency and greater cost control.
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File server virtual consolidation has positive impact for DPH
"I think this weekend's work was a huge success." That's how Georgia Department of Public Health CIO Perry Sims characterized an effort by IBM last month to virtualize 16 servers at the agency's offices at 2 Peachtree.
File server virtualization allows a single server to function as if it were multiple servers and improves the overall performance and resiliency of the environment. It aims to mitigate the risk of user downtime caused by the failure of old or aging hardware.
Among the additional benefits:
q Expandable storage without installing new hard drives q Higher availability of servers q Faster backups, reducing competition for server resources q Better data protection through improved redundancy

q Greater speed and increased capacity due to newer server hardware
Virtualizing servers at DPH and other agencies is helping to set the stage for the GETS server consolidation initiative. Users at DPH are already seeing improvements, according to Mr. Sims, including a more reliable place to keep files and no more Netware messages about running low on space.
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Router and switch remediation aimed at reducing risk
With a goal of increased security and network reliability, AT&T recently remediated router and switch configurations in GETS agencies. Targeted were configurations that did not meet AT&T's Security Policy and Requirements, which are based on industry best practices. The effort addressed problems such as weak passwords, default manufacturer security configurations, and out-of-date software versions.
After scans and configuration analysis identified high-risk items, AT&T took steps to correct them:
q Reviewed recommendations from the Managed Router Service team which identified network device vulnerabilities
q Identified high-risk items requiring further evaluation q Tested changes to ensure they did not adversely impact the network
The project included 2,651 routers and switches and 15,494 violations for remediation. AT&T worked with agencies to plan for remediation in instances where network disruption could occur.
AT&T will continue to interact with agencies, GTA and various support teams to monitor the network for additional vulnerabilities and remediate them through the normal change management process.
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Managed VoIP service now available
AT&T and GTA announce the addition of managed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service to the GETS program. GETS VoIP service consolidates voice and data service into one network, making your network easier to manage, enabling greater bandwidth utilization, and providing potential cost savings.
GETS VoIP service is in limited introduction until first quarter 2012, when it becomes widely available to all GETS customers.
In addition, the new service will be offered to all customers with Local Area Network (LAN) and Wide Area Network (WAN) environments able to support VoIP services. An assessment will be required to verify network readiness. The network assessment will test for:
q the availability of Power over Ethernet (POE) in the LAN environment q the ability to support Quality of Service (QoS) over the LAN/WAN infrastructure
The service will include a one-time charge for the network assessment. If you are interested in learning more about this new offering, please contact Mark Roberts with AT&T at mr6643@att.com.
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Georgia Digital Government Summit
q October 31 and November 1 q InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta q Only $25 for public-sector employees q Planned specifically for managers, executives and policy makers q For conference topics and registration information, visit the Summit website
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We welcome your comments about service delivery, the state's IT transformation and related topics. You can submit comments online or call our toll-free number to leave a recorded message.